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Most real estate agents don’t work with hard money lenders, because they are primarily focusing on Owner Occupied homes, and therefore only working with traditional mortgage lenders to get their Buyer leads Pre-Approved.

However, this is not necessary, and we will examine 4 actionable strategies for real estate agents (and brokers) to leverage hard money & close deals you never would have considered in the past. Plus, hard money clients will be doing repeat business, and will close faster with less documents required than a typical mortgage loan! (more…)

One of the most common questions we get at Glassridge, from beginning to experienced Investors alike, is whether one should acquire, work with, and/or hold different property types in their real estate investment portfolio.

Is it a good idea to invest in Single Family Residences, Apartment Buildings, and Commercial Properties?

Or is it smarter to stick to one single property type, and only aim to master the one?

This is ultimately a difficult decision that must be left up to each individual real estate investor, however we do have several key pointers I can recommend considering. (more…)

Your Hard Money Lender will always want to know about those who seek funding through them. In this same sense, you should know about your Lender. There are literally hundreds of reputable private hard money loan lenders in the US. With that said, there are several other, some established and some brand new up-starts, that can be everything from unprofessional and disorganized, to dishonest and down right shameful. I will attempt to clear up some of the mystique and help you choose the right lender with 6 Red Flags to Look For With Hard Money Lenders. (more…)

Let's Make A Deal

When seeking a loan, there's nothing worse than delays in closing. You've done your homework. You've submitted your documents. You've done your part. Now the waiting begins... Fortunately, borrowers can minimize this time significantly. We will examine these in detail as I show you 10 tips to make sure your hard money loan closes fast. (more…)

Raw Land is one of the simplest types of property to understand (no buildings), but can be one of the more difficult to turn to a positive ROI. The most common uses of Raw Land depend on its location, plot size, utilities access, climate, vegetation, and grading. Some common ways investors earn positive ROI from Raw Land include:

Residential development. Sub-dividing the plot to build houses or multi-family apartments, then selling or leasing the residences.

Commercial development. Building Offices, Retail, or Industrial structures on the land, then selling or leasing them to business tenants.

Agricultural development. Developing the land for farming purposes, and either farming it directly or leasing it to farmers to be cultivated.

Raw Land is really only suitable for experienced investors who understand the nuances of building & development, since it will require multiple steps from permitting, to architectural planning, to materials sourcing, to actual construction. Each step in the process requires special expertise and can rack up significant lost costs if not carefully planned & managed.

Commercial real estate encompasses a variety of different property types, and is one of the largest investment asset classes on the planet. Commercial properties can range from small shops to downtown office buildings & skyscrapers.

The obvious factor that sets commercial real estate apart is that it is owned for-profit by its investor(s). By this definition, many would also categorize 5+ unit apartment buildings as commercial real estate (and even technically 1 – 4 unit rental properties that are non-owner-occupied).

However, since there are many specific factors unique to residential properties not found in business-use commercial properties, for our purposes commercial real estate can be defined as:

First, we examine the 2 - 4 unit multiplex properties. These are treated as their own unique category especially due to the way they're treated by the US Federal Government.

Then, we focus on the mother of all multi family properties: apartment building investments. Apartment buildings are one of the best, but also one of the trickiest, real estate asset classes to invest in.

Investing Into Single Family Homes - Single Family Home Investments

The most common type of real estate investment property for beginners is a Single Family Residence or SFR. An SFR is your typical single family house, and can range from sub-$20k starter homes to multi-million dollar mansions.

When can you get a Bank Loan vs When can you get a Hard Money Loan

While it is true that most business lending takes place through traditional financial institutions such as banks, sometimes traditional criteria can be difficult for a business or individual to meet. Creative borrowers and lenders can streamline their own loan criteria and terms, evading the formalities and statutes that traditional lending institutions must follow. A typical loan being funded through a certified lending institution can sometimes be referred to as a "soft loan." Contrary to that, a "hard loan" is generally awarded by a private individual or investor, therefore its terms and interest rate can be less rigid and more flexible than those of a commercial lender. (more…)

To keep things simple, we look at all real estate investment strategies from two primary ownership objectives:

Fix & Flip vs. Buy & Hold

Below, we’ll examine each separately to put some perspective on why we boil it down to such a simple dichotomy. Obviously, many transactions & investment strategies will incorporate elements of both. (more…)

Glassridge (and its subsidiaries) make commercial, business purpose loans only. The loans it makes are to investors of commercial oriented, non-owner occupied properties. Glassridge does not make residential mortgage loans. Loans are for investment purposes only and not for personal, family, or household use. Loan product availability may be limited in certain areas. This is not a commitment to lend. All loans are subject to borrower underwriting and credit approval, in Glassridge's sole and absolute discretion. Other restrictions apply.